When Shaquille O’Neal rejected his celebrity status for being stereotyped: "These celebrities are going freaking crazy”
Although Shaquille O'Neal is one of the best basketball players in the history of the game, he made it clear many years ago that he's no celebrity. During a marketing event with Kellogg's, who he partnered with at the time to bring sports equipment to kids in need across the U.S., he shed the label.
As he explained at the time, he wanted nothing to do with the "freaking crazy" celebrities who were making headlines. He followed it up by saying that he was done with being a celebrity and that he was renouncing his celebrity status.
With a new focus on helping others and random acts of kindness, O'Neal began to reinvent himself as sort of an anti-celebrity. He explained the situation to the New York Post last year.
"I don’t want to be in that category," O'Neal said. "Celebrities are crazy. They really are. Don’t call me that anymore. These people are out of their freaking mind with how they treat people, what they do, what they say. That’s never been me. I never want to be looked at like that.
“I came from nothing, but just because I made, it doesn’t mean I’m bigger than you, smarter than you — just because I have more money doesn’t mean I’m better than you. I’ve never been that way, and I never will be that way. So, I don’t want to be in that category of people."
Below you can view some of the random acts of kindness that O'Neal was talking about.
Shaquille O'Neal: "I'm a regular person that listened, followed his dreams and made it"
As Shaquille O'Neal said, he's no different than anyone else he encounters and wants to help. He's simply someone who listened, followed his dreams and made it.
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Shaquille O'Neal admittedly was quite the troublemaker when he was younger. As a self-labeled bully who frequently got in trouble, he had little direction. That's when his stepfather, Sgt. Philip Arthur Harrison, changed his life. In addition to coaching a young Shaq's youth basketball programs, he played a key role in his life.
After Shaq managed to pull up his grades as a kid, his adoptive father took him to Madison Square Garden. There, he saw Dr. J, Julius Erving, throw down a monster dunk that had a massive impact on his future. Immediately, Shaquille O'Neal knew that he wanted to become a basketball player.
As his adoptive father told him, if he listened, he would help him become one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Shaq recalled the situation at the NBA 75 All-Star Game ceremony, saying:
“I’d like to thank Sergeant Phillip Harrison," O'Neal said. "He’s the guy that told me one day that I would be here. I was a medium-level, high-level juvenile delinquent, who was always told that I would never, ever, ever make it."
Below, you can view Shaq's emotional speech on "Inside the NBA" from the NBA 75 ceremony.